HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — An effort by Democratic lawmakers in Pennsylvania to ban owning, selling or making high-capacity, semi-automatic firearms went nowhere Wednesday as state House Republicans again displayed their firm opposition to gun restriction proposals. The state House of Representatives voted 111-87 against the effort by Democratic Rep. Danielle Friel Otten of Chester County to take up the bill after Majority Leader Kerry Benninghoff argued it should have to go through a committee first. READ MORE: Portion Of Atlantic City Board Walk That Is More Than 100 Years Old To Get Makeover The bill has spent more than a year in the Judiciary Committee, where Chairman Rob Kauffman, R-Franklin, has bottled up most proposals to regulate or restrict firearms. During floor debate, Otten said the massacre of 19 children and two teachers at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas on Tuesday created a “moral obligation to act, today, before this happens one more time.” Minority … [Read more...] about House Votes Against Taking Up Gun Bill After Texas Killings
Texas news
Onlookers Urged Police To Charge Into Texas School
UVALDE, Texas (CBS/AP) — Frustrated onlookers urged police officers to charge into the Texas elementary school where a gunman’s rampage killed 19 children and two teachers, witnesses said Wednesday, as investigators worked to track the massacre that lasted upwards of 40 minutes and ended when the 18-year-old shooter was killed by a Border Patrol team. “Go in there! Go in there!” nearby women shouted at the officers soon after the attack began, said Juan Carranza, 24, who saw the scene from outside his house, across the street from Robb Elementary School in the close-knit town of Uvalde. Carranza said the officers did not go in. READ MORE: Portion Of Atlantic City Board Walk That Is More Than 100 Years Old To Get Makeover Javier Cazares, whose fourth grade daughter, Jacklyn Cazares, was killed in the attack, said he raced to the school when he heard about the shooting, arriving while police were still gathered outside the building. Upset that police were not moving in, he … [Read more...] about Onlookers Urged Police To Charge Into Texas School
Camden Police To Indefinitely Increase Presence At District Schools Following Heart-Wrenching Texas School Shooting
CAMDEN, N.J. (CBS) — Police began increasing their presence at schools in Camden on Wednesday and CBS3 has learned it will be maintained indefinitely. The Mayor of the City of Camden, the Camden County Police Chief, the Camden County Sheriff and the Superintendent for the Camden City School District are expected to make the announcement about extra protection at schools at 12:30 p.m. Thursday. The announcement will be made at Camden High School. Officials say this will give parents and students peace of mind in the wake of the heart-wrenching school shooting in Uvalde, Texas that left at least 19 children and two adults dead. New Jersey’s acting attorney general directed law enforcement throughout the Garden State to increase its presence at schools in response to the tragedy at Robb Elementary School. Murphy says there are no credible threats to any New Jersey schools but they wanted to create a sense of security. “While there are no credible threats, NewJerseyOAG has … [Read more...] about Camden Police To Indefinitely Increase Presence At District Schools Following Heart-Wrenching Texas School Shooting
Schools In Philadelphia, South Jersey Evaluating Security Measures Following Texas School Shooting
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) — Schools in Philadelphia and South Jersey are increasing security measures following the massacre in Texas. They’re also offering support to students who need it. At Sheridan Elementary School in Philadelphia’s Kensington neighborhood, tearful conversations took place between students and staff in the wake of the school massacre in Texas. READ MORE: More Than 100 Philadelphia Middle Schoolers Demand Pennsylvania Lawmakers To Vote On Gun Control Measures Seventy percent of the student population is Hispanic. “One of the reasons for that impact, I think, felt so strong was that the kids look just like ours, the ones who were killed in Texas,” assistant principal Julio Nunez said. The school is making three counselors available to any student who needs to talk. “Giving them that sense of what they can do is important so they’re not walking from conversations feeling hopeless,” Nunez said. To give parents peace of mind, police ramped up their presence at … [Read more...] about Schools In Philadelphia, South Jersey Evaluating Security Measures Following Texas School Shooting
Parents Of Aurora Theater Shooting Victim Helping Texas Mass Shooting Victims
AURORA, Colo. (CBS4) – It’s been almost 10 years since the Aurora theater shooting, and ever since then Sandy and Lonnie Phillips have been on a mission. Their daughter, Jessica Ghawi, was among the 12 killed in the shooting. They responded by creating their original nonprofit, Jessi’s Message, which has since grown into Survivors Empowered. Jessica Ghawi (credit: CBS) They quit their jobs to travel from mass shooting to mass shooting and guide victims’ families through the aftermath. “What to expect from the media. What to expect from charities that might be collecting money or even individuals who are collecting money for the families that you’ll never see,” Sandy Phillips told CBS4’s Dominic Garcia. Jessica Ghawi’s mother and father, Sandy and Lonnie Phillips (credit: CBS) CBS4 caught up with the two as they headed to the recent shooting in Uvalde, Texas where 21 people were killed on May 24. Survivors Empowered recently released their “Survivors … [Read more...] about Parents Of Aurora Theater Shooting Victim Helping Texas Mass Shooting Victims
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott Trashes Bizarre, Viral Massacre Claim
Gov. Greg Abbott’s team slapped down a viral Twitter claim that his staff approached a Uvalde massacre victim’s family with a threatening offer of payola for propping up a pro-gun message. As of Thursday evening, more than 32,000 users have retweeted the account @MyCancerJourne3’s description of an supposed encounter with a representative from Abbott’s office, which the anonymous Twitter user claimed occurred just after their family identified his nephew’s body. But the embattled Republican governor swiftly denied the exchange ever took place. “This is completely false,” a spokesperson wrote to The Daily Beast. “No truth to it whatsoever.” As several Twitter users have noted, the account has purported falling victim to an array of personal tragedies, and their account of what they say was their nephew’s shooting in the tragic massacre on Tuesday contains some possible contradictions. In a thread about the alleged meeting with the Abbott staffer, they reported that … [Read more...] about Texas Gov. Greg Abbott Trashes Bizarre, Viral Massacre Claim
Thinking About Texas And Our Children
LITTLETON, Colo. (CBS4) — The Columbine Memorial was a quiet place Wednesday as the nation mourned the killing of school children and teachers in Uvalde, Texas. On it’s walls, inscriptions remain with messages of hope things would get better after the 1999 shooting in Colorado. “It brought the nation to its knees, but now that we’ve gotten back up, how have things changed; what have we learned?” reads one inscription. (credit: CBS) Nearby families brought their children to the Clement Park playground on a warm evening. “I’m like, oh my goodness another one?” said mom Angela Gordon, who is raising three children. “It’s like OK do I start my kids day by like, ‘Oh did you hear about this and are we going to talk about this?’ and I decided no, so it wouldn’t start their day with fear.” Gordon and longtime friend Kelly Hardison were at the playground with their children thinking about the families in Texas. “I will tell you though when I tucked them into bed last night … [Read more...] about Thinking About Texas And Our Children
Police: Texas Authorities Track School Shooting Threats To 18-Year-Old In Shelby Township
(CBS DETROIT) — Police arrested an 18-year-old from Shelby Township after Texas authorities tracked a social media post allegedly threatening to shoot and killed students. Shelby Township police said on Wednesday, a detective from the Texas Rangers notified them about the threats made against an unspecified school. READ MORE: MSP Investigate I-75 Shooting In Hamtramck The post was tracked to an address in Shelby Township, authorities say. Police identified the 18-year-old as the suspect and went to his home where he was interviewed and arrested. The teen was transported to the police department pending an arrangement. Weapons were found in the home and were removed. READ MORE: Michiganders Blow Monthly Budget Just 16 Days After Payday, Study Says “We are grateful for the Texas Rangers reporting this behavior to our agency. We are committed to protecting our community and I want to commend our officers for their swift response,” Shelby Township Police Chief Robert … [Read more...] about Police: Texas Authorities Track School Shooting Threats To 18-Year-Old In Shelby Township
Florida School Shooting Survivor Reacts to Texas School Shooting
TAMPA BAY, Fla. (CW44 News at 10) – A Florida school shooting survivor is speaking out about the incidents unfolding in Texas. 20-year-old Zach Hibshman was a junior at Parkland, Florida’s Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School when police say a 17-year-old expelled student entered and opened fire there in 2018. 17 people were killed that day. “I was 16 years old. I was in the building right next to it… and I did hear everything. It was definitely, very loud. I did unfortunately see bodies that were on the floor covered by sheets. When the SWAT and the police escort you out, it’s sort of surreal,” he explained. “When I got home, I turned on the news channel and I was just in a state of shock. I’m like, ‘there’s no way’. It’s terrible to think of that there were literally kids just a couple hundred feet next to me that did end up getting shot and did end up passing away.” Seeing Tuesday’s tragedies at a Texas elementary school unfold, he says, brings back vivid memories. “It’s … [Read more...] about Florida School Shooting Survivor Reacts to Texas School Shooting
Crowd reportedly urged police to charge into Texas school
UVALDE, Texas (CBSDFW.COM/AP) – On May 24, frustrated onlookers urged police to charge into the Texas elementary school where a gunman was on a rampage that eventually killed 19 children and two teachers, witnesses said Wednesday. The accusations come as investigators work to track the massacre that lasted upwards of 40 minutes and ended when the 18-year-old shooter was killed by a Border Patrol team. “Go in there! Go in there!” nearby women shouted at the officers soon after the attack began, said Juan Carranza, 24, who saw the scene from outside his house, across the street from Robb Elementary School in the close-knit town of Uvalde. Carranza said the officers did not go in. READ MORE: 19 Children, 2 Adults Killed In Mass Shooting In Uvalde, Texas Javier Cazares, whose fourth-grade daughter, Jacklyn Cazares, was killed in the attack, said he raced to the school when he heard about the shooting, arriving while police were still gathered outside the building. Upset that … [Read more...] about Crowd reportedly urged police to charge into Texas school